If I Lose Myself
by Mustaches
Summary: Rythian has gone through the change, and Zoey tries all that she can to change him back to his normal self. She finds help with Teep, Ravs, and the most unlikely people and sets off on adventures never encountered. Will she be able to turn her Enderboy into his old self, or will she witness him as an Enderman from now on? Zoethian fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1: Rythian's Point of View

**So I had to remove the lyrics.**

**Joy.**

**So I did. This is the story without them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Fanfiction. Get it?**

I could already feel myself changing. My arms grow darker in color, and when I took a quick glance at the mirror in the bathroom, I notice that my eyes are a deep purple. I've had a sudden urge to teleport everywhere and hoard any block next to me, whether it is dirt or stone or sand. I am changing, alright, into another creature of the night.

Zoey will be working on the nuke for another few hours, and then she'll have to see me in my new, terribly form. And Teep…well, I'll never really know, considering that he's mute. I try to think more about the golems, the wolves, Teep, even Blackrock, but Zoey keeps creeping into my mind.

What will she think? I don't know what will happen to her after the events play out. I wish I wouldn't change, just to make sure she's safe. To make sure that Lalna, or Sjin, or anybody else would dare not harm her. Not when I'm still around. Not when I'm still able to make a stand. Not when I'm not one of them yet.

Teep shuffles across the foyer, and when he looks up, he could see me huddled in a corner. He immediately stumbles over, and he puts one scaly hand on my shoulder. "Teep, I'm alright," I say, even though I'm throwing a coughing fit. "I'm fine."

I know he won't believe me. Teep opens the door to mineshaft, and I already assume what he's doing. "No, Teep." I try to pull him back, but my systems are so weak I can't even lift a finger. I'm surprised I can even talk now. "You can't tell her."

Teep shakes his head, and as best as he can, squeezes himself onto the mineshaft's ladder. He's persistent, I can tell you that.

"Teep!" I snap, but he's already down in the mines. I groan, and I tuck my head in my tangle of arms. No arguing now. I make myself lift my head and stare out the window. Without much thought, I stare at the wheat. She grew it. Zoey grew it back. I knew she could.

"Rythian!" I could hear the concern in her voice, even though she tries to keep it calm. She's strong. She's brave. That's what I like about her. The ladders creak under her feet, and when her head pops through the hole, her eyes widen. She scrambles up quickly, and within seconds she's by my side, holding my hand. "Rythian! No, no, no. Not now."

"I'm changing," I tell her. "I'm becoming them."

Her eyes, a mixture of yellow and orange, blaze with anger. "No! Rythian, you can fight this."

"I can't."

"Yes, of course you can!" A single tear rolls down her cheek, and with all the strength I could pretty much muster, I reach out to wipe it away. Then I keep my hand against her face, and more tears come. The sun begins to set behind us, and she's growing angrier, her eyes glowing brighter. "You _have _to stay. You know you're not one of them."

"Explain why I'm changing then," I say.

"Because of dumb, horrible science," she says, even though there's regret in her voice. Even if she's my apprentice, there is part of her that is also with science. She's a mix of both, divergence in her soul. "You can't leave me now. What if they come?"

"You know how to fight." I look at the ring that allows her to fly, and the other that allows her to rocket fireballs from her fingertips. "And you have Teep. We took him in because I wanted him to protect you when I can't, remember?"

"Well, you need to try to protect me now, because Teep isn't here." After her statement, Teep bursts through the hole, and she growls. "Okay, he's here. You still have to hold on."

Lower. The sun is sinking into the hills, and the moon is starting to rise. I have urges to go and greet the blanket of dark, but Zoey is still holding my hand. She's still anchoring me to my life. To our life.

I can feel my arms and legs grow longer, and my head is starting to spin. Everything is turning into a light shade of purple. It's changing me, claiming me, dragging what I've injected into myself into the real part of me, the one that had remained safe.

Until now.

I can't take the headache in my head, and I see Zoey shaking me. "Rythian! No, you can't leave me not now!"

"I was the one who tested this on myself," I whisper.

"Yes, science kind of screwed you up." Even in a serious moment like this, she manages to find something humorous.

"It's fair enough."

I can feel myself slipping already. The sun is almost down, and the moon is almost out. I can already feel its magnetic pull inside me, and I start seeing purple dust floating around me. I'm becoming what I didn't want to, leaving the golems, leaving the wolves, Teep.

Zoey.

She's unbelievably remarkable. She's amazing at magic. She's, and I'm afraid to admit this, also good at science. She's funny. She's crazy – my type of crazy. And she's the one that anchored me into this world, before I slide into the next one.

She can keep going, with or without me. I tell myself she can.

"But…" She takes both of my hands, still untainted by the curse. "I…I love you, Rythian."

I try to open my mouth, but I realize I don't have one now.

I love you too, Zoey.

She looked into my eyes.

I hiss.


	2. Chapter 2: Zoey's Point of View

**I decided to be nice and provide a sequel because I, myself, couldn't leave the story at that. And I still can't. So my question is, dear fandom: should I continue this into a full out story? Would any of you read it? Tell me in the reviews. Thanks, and enjoy! Or not. This is kind of sad.**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.**

**P.S., here's a playlist for this. Have fun dying of feels.**

**"If I Lose Myself" - One Republic **

**"Heaven - Piercing Giga Drill" - Area 11 **

**"Vectors" - Area 11 **

**"She Wolf" - David Guetta ft. Sia**

* * *

**Zoey's Point of View**

He's gone.

He continues hissing, and I turn around so he doesn't start attacking me. I see Teep turn as well from the corner of my eye. At least I think it was Teep. The tears I've been holding back are threatening to burst out any second. Through the water, I see him hold out his bow. "No," I say, pushing it away. "He's still Rythian. We're not going to kill him."

He gives me some sort of a smile. Well, a broken one. If he was really smiling, I try to tell myself he was. Not just a form of imagination after all of…_this. _I force myself to think of a way to make Rythian _not _mad, but I don't what to do with an already angry Enderman.

Enderman.

I've said it.

I don't want to accept him as one of them yet, because he's still not attacking me. I jam my fists into my eyes and make them catch all the tears that have finally broken through. For a minute I just stand there, and memories start flooding in. When I fell out of the sky; when he let me be his apprentice; when he had given me a flying ring; when he made Gilbert; when I had to rescue Teep and ran away.

I shouldn't have run away. It's dumb, really, now that I look back at it. My mind wanders off to more memories, but eventually I just focus my mind on how to handle the creature behind me. I put my hands on my face, but no thoughts come to mind. I just asking myself: _What do I do? _But there are no answers.

I'm about to just turn around and try to talk myself out of this, but a knock on the door distracts me. The sound triggers Rythian's instinct, and just like a regular Enderman, he teleports away into a safer place. I have to hold back the idea of having seen him for the last time. Instead, I open the door, and I gasp with surprise.

"I knew it!" Lalna exclaims, motioning Sjin, who was beside him, into a high – five. "I knew my calculations were correct."

"What do you mean?" I ask, even though I feel like I know the respond.

"I've been counting the days since poor Rythian will, hm, how should I put this?" He leans closer, and I bite my lower lip. "_Morph _into something new. And better. I couldn't stand his crud personality. Bitter and foul."

"You didn't even know him well enough!" I exclaim. "He's only _bitter _and _foul _because of what you did!"

"I don't think you believe in that," Sjin says from behind. "You just went in from the ride."

I did. I just went along because it was Rythian who had brought me in. I never thought revenge was the answer – I never did. But Rythian…he wanted it. And what was I going to do? I am – _was _his apprentice, after all. I should at least support him. "Okay, maybe I didn't," I reply. "But he's not as cold as you think he may be. He was funny at some times, he was kind, he was…" I trail off, choking on my own words.

"What an amazing twist," Lalna hisses, grabbing my face. He makes me look into his eyes, anger and vengeance swimming in the blue sea. "An apprentice and her master, falling in love. Oh, oh, oh, the master doesn't like science, but his _former _apprentice does! What did he think? This is delicious." He drags out the word "former". I try to wriggle out, but he only tightens his grip. "What _did _he think?"

"He's fine," I say, gasping for breath as Lalna puts his hand over my throat. "He was fine with it. Were you expecting that?" I fumble for my Ring of Ignition, and when I find it, I do what I am made for – fire.

Instantly, a circle of flame surrounds both Lalna and Sjin, and I fly away just a bit to see them. They try to put the fire out, but I just make it stronger. Bigger. Tougher. It gets so big that one of the watchtowers catches on fire. At that, I land on the ground. Taking one last look at Blackrock, I run.

I wasn't exactly sure where to, but when I saw Teep hiding in a little swamp crevice, I crawl with him. He wraps his scaly arms around me, and for a few minutes we stand there. "Teep, we have to make sure," I say, looking up into his beady black eyes. "We have to check on Lalna. Sjin. They've probably escaped."

Both of us creep to the edge of the crevice, but we don't break into a run. Instead, I fly just a bit above of Teep, to check. As I look around, I hear a noise. When I turn around, I grit my teeth. "Ry…Rythian."

He's still one of them. He hasn't changed. But something in his eyes – something's changed. Like he knows I'm talking to him. That he's aware I'm not the enemy. That somehow, he's still Rythian, trapped inside a body of his own creation. I notice we're a few steps away from Blackrock, and when I stare at the flames, Lalna and Sjin are still trapped in them.

I'm about to make it bigger when Rythian starts walking towards the ring of fire, and I follow after him, taking out his katar that I picked up, just in case they try to escape. It's not just Rythian's revenge now – it's mine. Whether I like it or not.

He stares into the fire, and I hear Sjin laugh. "This is what you've become, you sick son of a – " He doesn't continue, though. Rythian starts attacking them, as best as an Enderman could do. But that stops.

The watchtower that caught on fire falls.

Onto Lalna.

Onto Sjin.

Onto Rythian.

"No!"

The ruble proves it. They're dead. When I see Lalna and Sjin's bodies, I give them to Teep, who tosses them aside. I try to control my breathing, but it's all raggedy. Rythian – he's officially gone _gone. _Dead. Demolished.

I hear an Enderman sound, and for a second I thought it was Rythian. _Of course not, _I tell myself. _He's dead. _But it keeps repeating, so I head towards the direction it was in, on top of the watchtower with the power flower. When I see the visitor, I almost faint. I run up, but I stop myself when I'm only a few inches away.

"You teleported, didn't you?" His head moves slightly, and I know he tried to nod. "You're brilliant." I rush of happiness goes through me, and without thinking anymore, I collide with him and give him a hug.

He's still Rythian. He's still got an essence of him.

And I'll help him find it.

When I look into the lake that day, I find my war paint has smeared off.


	3. Chapter 3: Crooked Caber

**I spelled "Crooked Caber" wrong.**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, for the love of butter.**

**By the way, I recommend listening to "Carry On" by "Fun." while reading this. It fits this chapter so well, I mean, I can't even explain it.**

* * *

It didn't seem right, keeping Rythian in a little cage with Red Five. In the end, I just let him be, roaming around Blackrock. I left Teep there, just in case somebody gets the idea that they can ambush us. It wasn't easy getting Teep to stay, because he wanted to go with me. But after telling him I would give him a few stacks of meat, much to my dismay, I may add, he sat on the bed and watched Rythian's every move.

I didn't feel like swimming around to find where Ravs was located, so I scanned the areas in the sky. For a few minutes, there was no luck. I almost gave up when the sight of a small pub on an isolated island made me stop, and I swooped down to make sure. And it was. The Crooked Caber, with Ravs tirelessly working behind the closed doors.

I open them, and I make a face at the smell. It smells _horrible, _to be quite honest, so I do my best to block out the smell. I walk up to the bar, where Ravs is wiping the surface clean, and he gives me a warm smile as I sit down slowly.

"Didn't think I'd see you in here, Zoey!" Ravs says. "Want a drink?"

"No," I tell him politely. Then, almost as quickly as I decline, I say, "Actually, yes. A small one, please." I didn't plan to drink anything at all. I just wanted to find Ravs so that he can keep Rythian some company. But the sudden realization that Rythian _has _been here before, and that I may be sitting where _he _might have been, gives me a comforting feeling that he isn't actually morphed into something else.

As Ravs gives me a small pint, I force myself to drink it down. Everything hits me like a huge tidal wave. I begin getting slightly dizzy, and I grab the bar to stabilize myself. I mean, it wasn't much, but I haven't had a drink for ages. Or never, probably. _How does Rythian take big doses of this_? I ask myself. I would ask him, if he could talk, but the thing is, he _can't. _So bummer.

After what seemed like forever trying to regain stability, I look at what Ravs is doing. He's playing with a television, but nothing's playing on it. He's pressing buttons, toying with wires, and he even went as far as throwing a mug at it. I lean back a bit and ask, "Are you alright with that thing?"

"This television won't work," he says, pressing buttons on the remote again. "I don't know what's wrong with it. I suppose your magic can help? Or are you not allowed to?"

"Magic, no," I say, feeling a guilty about it. "But I _do _know a bit of science. I may be able to fix it. I mean, they don't call me a – " I stop, knowing he won't know what a "Technomage" is. Instead, I clear my throat and go behind the bar, looking at the television. "It's got to be the same as a computer, surely."

"I hope so," Ravs says. "So can you fix it?"

"We'll see." I take a long look at the television, observing the wires and parts, and I laugh when I see the problem. "The problem here, Ravs, is that it isn't plugged in." I hold up the plug, and when I put it in the right place, static starts, and the television turns on. It's playing a few commercials about dirt, and Ravs starts cheering and running. He gives me a hug, and for a minute, I'm startled. I relax eventually, though the ghost of his arms still lingers.

"Thanks, Zoey," he says. "I'm not very good at science."

"I think you should stick to bartending, then." I say, putting a strand of red hair behind my ear. I sigh, and when I look at the cup I drank out off, an idea clicks into place. "Say, Ravs, you've been to Blackrock, right?"

"Oh, the place with the nuke under it?" he asks.

"The nuke…" I say, trailing off. I still have to disable it. "Well, I'm working on it. But would you like to come and stay for a while? I mean, I need help." I breathe in, realizing that was an understatement. "I need a _lot _of help."

"What kind?"

I guess I owe Ravs an explanation, so I tell him the whole story. How Rythian experimented on himself, how he was half Enderman for a while, how it consumed him. I make it sound like he changed ages ago, but it was all just yesterday. I tell him how Lalna and Sjin invaded, and when Ravs asked where they were, I simply told him that they were dead. I tell him how Rythian, even though an Enderman, helped me defeat them, and somehow, Rythian is still here, just in a different body. And that I wanted to help him out, because I care about him. And something more. I just don't know what.

"Seems you got your hands full there," Ravs says, leaning against the bar. "But what have I got to do with this?"

"Well, you see, with the nuke, I can't properly take care of Rythian," I say. "All I'm asking is that you look after him while I try to detonate the nuke. I mean, Teep's good, but he…he needs a friend. He needs someone better than me."

"I'm sure the only person he wants is you to take care of him," Ravs says. "I mean, he talked about you a lot while you were gone. He seemed quite fond of you."

Something in that makes me blush, and I look away to make sure Ravs doesn't catch it. He _talked _about me? He was _fond _of me? Something in me tells me that I feel the same way, but I push that thought away. No time for feelings right now. I _have _to do what it takes to bring back Rythian. Then, maybe, another talk will occur.

"Well, I still need help." I look at Ravs for a few more minutes, and it's a staring competition. Finally, he nods, saying, "I guess so. Will there be any food there?"

"Plenty."


	4. Chapter 4: Dislodged Goggles

**Sorry I didn't update! I got addicted to an anime. My first anime, I guess. Code Geass? Yep. Thanks Area 11. Thanks a bunch. I need to rant about it someday. Anyway, I'm also sorry that the end is kind of rushed. I feel like it was, sort of. Oh gosh, this chapter was just horrible to write. I love Sips, and I love Zoey, so to write what I had to in this chapter kind of broke my heart. ;~; Aha, okay, moving on...oh, yes! Enjoy. Hurr. **

**And PeltyraTheMage, I'm thinking about Martyn. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, I think they're living and breathing somewhere in England.**

* * *

"It was hard, you know," I say, grabbing my goggles off the table. "Getting _him _here. It took a lot of waiting and yelling." Next to me, Ravs and Rythian sit awkwardly on the bed. It took a while for Ravs to figure out he can't talk, and by then he had rambled on about how the television finally worked, about his secret ingredient, and his plot to capture squids.

Rythian looks up at me, and I give him a small smile. "I'm going to go down to the nuke, okay?" I turn to Ravs. "Have you figured out he can't respond to you?"

"It would have been helpful," he says, sniffing slightly. "I mean, I feel like an idiot now. What else do I need to know?"

"Nothing, really." I shrug, looking down at goggles, all green and worn from the many times I've put them on. "Maybe you shouldn't talk to Teep, either."

"Okay, I know that," Ravs says. I give Rythian a pat on the back, feeling guilty as I walk downstairs. I wanted to hug him, but it would have been awkward in front of Ravs and Teep. After that, Ravs' words ring in my mind, the ones back at Crooked Caper.

"_I mean, he talked about you a lot while you were gone. He seemed quite fond of you."_

A mixture of feelings well up in my stomach, and my vision gets blurry. _Oh, Zoey, not now, _I scold myself. _You can think of this later. Right now, it's you, the nuke, and – _

"Ah!" I fall down, my breath getting scraggly as I hit the floor. For long, beating seconds, I stay there, my face against the cool stone. Then I get up, rearranging my goggles, and I walk to where the nuke is. When I reach the room, I take a deep breath. _Another day, _I tell myself. _Maybe it'll disable today._

I am ready to code, to do anything. Anything to save Blackrock.

Or is that what I really want to save?

* * *

I couldn't. The force field should serve no problem now, but the actual disarming took up most of my time. So many numbers, letters, and signs line up to make up what the nuke is, and I've only been working on computers for a small amount of time. This is a high level of scientific thinking, but if it's to keep everything where it is right now, I'll spend my time down there.

I climb up the ladders, and when I poke my head through the hole, a hand lets go of the ladder. I almost fall backwards, but I grab the ladder again before I tumble. I climb out, and I grit my teeth, taking out my blow dart from my boot. I slide it in between my lips, putting a dart in. "Say something," I tell him, my voice muffled from the blow dart.

"It's impolite for the guest to speak first," Sips says. "If I were you, I'd be the one talking." He takes out a mining laser, and through the door's open area, shoots through it. I dodge it, and I blow a dart at him, missing him by a few inches. If it's one thing I need to learn right now, it's aim. Maybe Teep can help.

"What do you want?" I say, this time taking out Rythian's katar. Although I'm holding it, I don't consider it as mine. It's still Rythian's, right? _Maybe you're just saying that so you don't feel as if he's gone, _a voice in me says. I shut it out, though, and focus on the current situation. "Hurry up, or you may end up as Sjin and Lalna with just a swing of this sword."

"Watch your temper, won't you?" Sips then laughs, a maniacal one, and a shudder runs through my spine. He's a bit…dislodged. I observe him through the door a bit more, and I note features that are off. His hair's a tangled mess, his eyes bearing bags under them, and he's a paler shade of gray now. Has it been, that after Sjin died, he had gone insane? Most likely. Sjin was his partner. Unlike Lalna, he had someone who cared about him. And now he's after me.

"We can end this peacefully," I say, my voice shaking. "If you just leave – "

"I'm _not _leaving!" He screams, pounding on the iron doors. "You killed him! You killed Sjin! After that, you still call yourself human? You should end up in – "

"Shut up!" I step on the pressure plate, and the door swings open. Sips laughs, points his mining laser to my face. I'm almost ready to take it, but that's when I equip the Ring of Ignition, and the flames start crawling around him.

"What do you think you're doing, you witch?" He tries to take it out, but I only make it more intense. I start flying, going all the way to where the ruble used to be, cleaned up and all. No evidence of Lalna, or Sjin. Sips could end up just like them.

But no. He equips his jetpack, and before the fire can get to him, he shoots upward, the jetpack going out of control. I start flying up the same level as him, and I start shooting fireballs at him, the same time he starts throwing snowballs. We keep at it until we're above the ocean, dodging and shooting and fighting.

He starts loosing gas, and I smile. _Perfect. _But before he plummets down, he draws closer, and hits me with the snowballs with more impact. He's more accurate than I am, and I start taking big amounts of damage. I dodge a few, but more of them hit me. He's gotten me so much that I can't even fire straight.

They hit me everywhere – the arms, the legs, the chest, the stomach. And they all hurt. I choke up, and before I can realize it, I fall. Down into the ocean, my back getting the most impact. I scream in pain, the water hitting me like spikes. I fly out quickly, looking up at the night sky.

Sips is gone.

"Coward," I mutter, although I know I shouldn't talk like that. I was one, too. I look towards Blackrock, and I screech in horror as he holds Ravs in his arms. I zoom towards there quickly, taking out the katar, already visualizing the blood on it once I've chopped his head off. _So close, _I tell myself, Blackrock getting bigger and bigger as I draw closer. I'm almost there when –

"Ravs!" Sips lets go of Ravs' arm, and without thinking, I swoop down and catch him. That gave Sips enough time to back away, and when I've dropped Ravs off to check, he's _really _gone. Out of sight. Sips left the fight – or war. It's a war now.

I didn't mean to start one, but I _did _kill Lalna and Sjin. And this is the consequence. There will be destruction. There will be creation. And there will be loss. So much loss in the battles to come against each other. Science and magic – we'll never see eye to eye, and we never seem to try. Well, to be honest, Rythian didn't try. Lalna, SJin, Sips – they didn't try, either. A thought comes across that I'm probably the only one trying to bring those two together, but then again, it's a big world out there. Someone's bound to do the same thing. But for now, I'm letting it be.

_So let it be, Sips. Let it be._

"You alright?" I say, gliding down into the bedroom. Ravs rubs his arm, and I take a look at it. No scratches, no cuts, no nothing. He's in good condition, surprisingly, despite the fact a madman was just holding him.

"Yeah, no big deal," Ravs says. "Can't say the same for you, though. You look awful."

I look down, and what I see isn't exactly pretty. My arms and chest are smeared with blood, my bellybutton oozing the dark red liquid out, and when I lift up my pants, I can see a few huge gashes where he had hit me. _H__ere's some evidence, _I think to myself, sighing a bit. _Well, they say if you hit a Blaze with snowballs, it'll do more damage._

I get angry all of a sudden. _How stupid! _I scream to myself. _I should have worn my armor when I went to the nuke. I should've. _I grit my teeth as Ravs takes the bandages and wraps it around almost everywhere. The bleeding isn't exactly bad, it's just the worry of infection. As he works on patching me up, my thoughts drift again. _I'll wear my armor all the time now, no matter how uncomfortable. And besides, how should I know Sips would have come? _

I'm more prepared, now, after this. I'll expect his attacks. His battles. His actions. And I'll be right there, protecting Rythian. Because he's always protected me. Now it's _my _turn.

Teep bursts through the door, holding piles of meat in his hands. "So that's where you went," I whisper to myself. "Nice job."

* * *

When everyone has gone to sleep, I get up and go to the bathroom. Sips' image repeats itself in my head, and when I look at myself in the mirror, I almost scream. I look exactly like him. My hair is pretty much a bird's nest now, one or two of them. My orange eyes are lined with small bags, and as I had predicted, my skin is lighter as well. I'm going through exactly what Sips is going through. He's lost Sjin.

And I've lost Rythian.

Well, not entirely. A clatter comes from outside, and when I walk outside, I find Rythian with a broken pot next to him. "Oh, no," I whisper, kneeling down. To my surprise, he kneels down as well, and we both pick up the pieces. I don't feel like cleaning it out right now, so I just put it on the table.

We sit there in complete silence, putting the pieces on the table, until we're all done. Rythian gets up and starts to turn around, but I grab his arm quickly. "Rythian, wait," I say, and I almost want to smile when he turns around. "He went crazy, didn't he? Sips?"

He nods slightly. I take in a deep breath, thankful he can understand. "Well, he lost Sjin. And I've lost you. Not completely. I mean, you're standing in front of me right now. Ironic, isn't it?" I feel like I'm rambling on, so I just say, "I won't be like him, okay? I'll get you back."

Rythian nods again, and now I can't hold it any longer. I smile. Then he turns and goes into the bedroom, wobbling a bit.

I comb my hair before sleeping.


	5. Chapter 5: Newpool or Oldpool?

**(Spoilers if you haven't watched the new Tekkit below.)**

**I've never cried so hard in anything, ever, which says something about the series. Many tears were shed after episode 17. And don't even get me started on the song. **  
**I've memorized it, word for word. Oh, feels. They're coming again. Oh gosh. Nope. Nope nope nope.**

**Just read this chapter, k? 3 Sorry it took so long. I really am. I'm going to try to get on more often.**

**P.S., at least two OCs will be added in this, one in this chapter and one just mentioned. Hope that's okay. :) If not, let me know in the reviews. I'm flexible with **  
**the plot. ^-^**

**P.S.S., thanks to Strawbree for lending me Joey. Go look her up on Wattpad. She's "Laser_Pineapple"!**

**Disclaimer: Nones of the characters ares mines. (I like the letter "s".)**

* * *

"We need a vacation, and Zyluss and Daltos are our neighbors." Before Teep can try to protest, I hold up a finger. "Okay, yes, maybe Daltos _did _kill Zyluss' mother...and bunny…and tuna sandwich…" I trail off, looking back down on the pile of cooked pork and bread I've accumulated in the picnic basket.

I want to get out of here, right now. Not run away – I will _never _do that, never again. But at least breathe different air, and Newpool was the first and, possibly, the only option to go on a little vacation. Somewhere to take all of our minds off the events that have occurred these few days, even for a little while. That should stabilize everybody's mental health, especially mine.

Ravs and Rythian walk down, and the memory of two nights ago come into play. _He's getting used to it, _I tell myself. _He's got somewhat longer arms and legs now._ "Ready for Newpool?" I ask, looking up at Rythian. I hadn't told everyone about the trip until this morning, and I know Rythian doesn't want to go. Even as an Enderman, I can see the resentment in his purple gaze. Guilt and pity sets in me, but Blackrock has now become a weight on my shoulders. Leaving is the best solution, just for a bit. I put my hand on his arm and smile. "It'll be fun, I promise."

But promises are made to be broken. _Zoey, not now._

* * *

"I would like to know _why _Newpool is called Newpool, if you can maybe answer." Ravs says, trailing behind. Teep has taken the lead, his bow ready, with Rythian beside him. Luckily he's immune to the sun, unlike some unfortunate mobs. He's keeping a slow pace, and I can tell he's doing it on purpose, trying to slow down the process to get to Newpool.

"Well, when they set up their town, they got a _new _pool, and named it after that. But now…now it's just an _old _pool, unless Nilesy built the pool we paid him to. Then it could still, in some way, be called Newpool." I turn to Ravs, and his head tilts slightly. "I – I kind of rambled a bit, sorry – "

"No, no, it's fine, really. I think it calms him down." Ravs says, and he points to Rythian. He sees us staring, and quickly faced the front. I can feel a slight blush coming to my cheeks, but the sight of Newpool's infamous sign stops my embarrassment from erupting.

"That's new," I say, pointing to at the sign that stated the population. "It says…_three_?" Through the corner of my eye, I see Rythian wanting to just facepalm himself, shifting ever – so – slightly around. He's definitely trying to get used to his long limbs. Teep also spies him, and a dinosaur excuse of a smile crept up on him.

I observe the area, and I find that Nilesy _did _build the pool, right behind Daltos' house. I let out a sigh of relief after unconsciously holding my breath. I didn't need to, of course – Nilesy _can_ keep his promises. A wooden frame stands at the side of the signs, indicating that someone had started on a house. It's most likely the mysterious third resident of Newpool. I decide to walk down the gravel path, followed pursuit by the others. "Zyluss?" I say, looking around the perimeter. Where _were _they? "Daltos? The third person who seems to be living here?"

The sudden emptiness of this place makes me wary. What has caused this? "I'm – I'm sure they're around here _somewhere,_" I say, hoping to reassure them. I turn around right when Ravs yelps, "Arrow!"

It whizzes past me, barely inches away from my shoulder. Quick as my reflexes let me, I grab my blowgun. Before I can start firing at the unseen opponents, however, I hear murmurs coming from behind a bush. I see the top of their heads slowly come up, one by one by one. The third newcomer to the town leaps out from behind, an arrow already on her bow. "Who are you and what do you want?"

I don't know why, but she seems like the human version of Teep. She wears an oversized green sweater, her shorts in tatters, leather boots worn, and a strip of red cloth tied around the top of her head. True, she's not a dinosaur, she's not mute, and she's a _girl, _but she carries the same air of "hurt my group and you're dead" Teep has as well.

"Ah, Teep!" Ravs squeaks, hiding behind the dinosaur. Teep takes this as a warning and loads his own bow, and the two commoners lock their aim at each other.

"_No,_" I say, looking at Teep. "No. Teep, we're not here to fight, we're – "

Zyluss and Daltos jump out of hiding, and Zyluss puts his hand on her shoulder. She seems younger than them, if not only a few years. "Calm down now, Aspen. It's fine. This is Zoey. She's one of our friends."

"Lucky I missed," she mutters, slowly putting down her bow. Teep does the same, and it's like they're mirroring each other very well. I smile, loosening my iron grip on the picnic basket. _It's alright, Zoey, _I tell myself.

"What brings you to Newpool?" Daltos says, looking at our group. "And who's that? He smells like a squid. Also, where's – oh, gosh!" At those last words, he leaps behind Aspen. "Shoot it! That's an Enderman!"

"Why isn't it dying?! It's in the sun, after all!" Zyluss replies, hoping behind Daltos. He pushes Zyluss a bit out of the way, and they bicker with each other under their breath as they cower behind Aspen.

Aspen readies her bow again, but I yell, "No!" I jump in front of her, and her arrow rest where my heart is. I push the bow away, and I reply quickly, "No, it's not a glitch. It's…he's…" I gulp, trying to fight back the bad memories threatening to emerge. "It's Rythian."

He looks away slightly, and I know that he's embarrassed by his current state. "It's a long story," I say. Before they can question him, I hold out the basket. "We came because we wanted to have a picnic. If you wouldn't mind, that is. You can even join us!" Some excitement latches on to my voice, and I'm thankful that they don't hear the shakiness in them.

"What do you think, Zyluss?" Daltos turns to his partner.

"Hm, why not?"

* * *

After much debate, we settle our picnic a few blocks away from Newpool, in a large, open field. They didn't press us about what had happened to Rythian, which I am thankful for. I tell them who Ravs is, but I can't answer Daltos' question on why he smells like squids. Even after asking, Ravs wouldn't spill.

"I know I'm a great guy, but come on, let's give the spotlight to someone else," Ravs says, handing pieces of pork to Teep and Rythian, both standing up beside me. I spy Rythian giving the pork behind his back to Teep, and I chuckle a bit. I'm glad Rythian just didn't give it to me, remembering I was a vegetarian. I almost choke on the bread I'm eating when I start giggling over Zyluss' and Daltos' stories about Nilesy's attempts to make their second pool. Apparently, when they found out Nilesy got the pool from Ikea, they got pretty mad. However, Rythian had paid Nilesy, so they just let him build a pool anyway. Then they became good friends, forgetting about their rivalry over the other pool.

Aspen was a certain distance away from us, eating nothing and looking up occasionally at us. I try to pull her into a conversation, but she just wouldn't take the bait. I attempt again, asking, "How'd you meet Zyluss and Daltos?"

Silence washes over the picnic as she looks away. _Oh, what if I offended her? _I ask myself, mentally scolding myself. _What if she didn't want to talk about it? I didn't tell her about Rythian. Oh…_

"I used to be an adventurer," she says softly. "Joey and I…" She curls up into a ball and throws her hands in the air. "It was Lalna! He had drawn Joey in, and after that, she had stayed. I mean, I was fine with that, it's just that now…"

Suddenly, all of my grudges against her disappear. She had lost someone as well. Someone who is still close to her, except they're gone somewhere else. I look at Rythian, and a rush of joy crashes along me. At least he had stayed after he turned. I look back at Aspen, and I can see the tears trying to tear through the barrier she had built. I give her a smile, a sympathetic one. "It's okay. It's happened to me as well."

_You're not alone, and I'm not either. Not anymore. _

Aspen's eyes wander to Rythian, and she nods. "I got off topic, didn't I? I haven't told you how I met Zyluss and Daltos." The two men chuckle, and she gives them a warm smile. "Well, I walked around for a while, travelling and such, and I had come to Newpool just a few days ago, really. I offered them protection in exchange of some shelter."

"It wasn't that simple, bargaining with her!" Zyluss exclaims, biting into a piece of pork, the juices falling onto his shirt slightly. "She shot Daltos a few times. Let me tell you, if she sets her mind into it, she's got good aim!"

"It still hurts, you know!" Daltos puts in, rubbing his right shoulder after that statement. "Gee, your arrows pack a punch."

"I wonder _why_," Aspen says sarcastically, holding up her bow. It was glowing, the signs of an enchantment. "It's got Punch Four."

We all laugh as Daltos gets an explanation of what an enchantment is. After that, Teep tumbles over from an overdose of pork, burping so loud that it causes wind to blow through us. Rythian falls, Ravs' nose flails in the air, and my once perfect hair is a tangled mess. I double over with laughter after that, and Aspen joins along, opening up. Everybody chips in their own laughter, and all of my worries seem to lift away, off of my shoulders, and into the void.

I don't regret coming to Newpool.

In the evening, it seems as if all of us got our well – deserved night of sleep.

And so did Aspen, sleeping on the floor of Blackrock. She preferred it that way, anyway, and I'm not going to complain about it.

Of course she's come along with us. Zyluss and Daltos aren't that mad, and for that, I'm thankful. It's about time Teep got another friend, one exactly like him. Besides, we had owed him. We kept promising him armor, more weapons, but with the past events, we haven't done so. A friend, at least, we can provide. It's the least we can do with the protection Teep gives _us. _

And a new friend for me, too.

* * *

"_Why are you crying?"_

"_Aspen left," Joey had replied, looking up at the scientist behind her. "Why did she leave me, Lalna? She told me that I didn't want her here anymore…she wasn't interfering with our relationship. She wasn't, though. What's wrong with me? What had caused me to say that?"_

_She still remembered that conversation. She felt as if she was asleep, but she was moving and talking. When she woke up from her dream, she had found Aspen standing there, asking her why she had told her to leave. Joey didn't have a chance to explain, because she didn't know why she had even asked. She was her best friend. What had consumed her to make her say those unforgivable words?_

"_I don't know," Lalna said. And with that, he pointed his mining laser to her face, and clicked one of the bullets into place. "Please stay still, Joey."_

_"Lalna...what are you doing?"_

_"This will only hurt a bit."_

"_No!"_


End file.
